Britney Spears Would Be 'Great Fit' For 'X Factor,' Marcus Canty Says

During his final appearance on "The X Factor," Marcus Canty promised his fans it was "not over" for him yet, and he was right. The fourth-place finisher, who wowed viewers with his energetic stage presence and smooth R&B style, recently signed to Epic Records and has released his debut single, "Won't Make a Fool Out of You."

Yet at one time it seemed like we might never have heard his music at all. Before "X Factor" Canty tried but failed to get through the audition rounds for "American Idol."

"I tried 'American Idol.' I got in front of the judges, I sang my little heart out, but I guess I didn't make it," Canty revealed to MTV News. "I guess they didn't want me."

"Idol" may not have wanted Canty, but "The X Factor" did. With help from his mother, Canty reluctantly decided to step in front of the judges, hoping to get his chance to go to Hollywood.

"The funny thing is that I didn't want to do 'X Factor' at first. I was just like, 'Man, I'm gonna do it myself,' then I look on the bill and I see L.A. Reid, and I'm like, 'Wait a minute, that's L.A. Reid!' " Canty said. "For so long I've been trying to get music to him. When it came that time, my mom was like, 'Look, you should just try it."

With Reid as his mentor, Canty battled his way to a fourth-place finish with some show-stopping performances that gained him comparisons to Al Green and Bobby Brown.

Canty also developed relationships with the other judges on the show, including former mentors Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger.

"I actually was kind of surprised," Canty said of the departures of Abdul and Scherzinger. "I thought it was a lot of drama on the show with Paula and Nicole, but they were so nice."

Canty was no stranger to drama himself. The R&B crooner found himself in the bottom two during several episodes, most notably edging out Rachel Crow in an emotional and controversial finish.

"I feel like Paula was honest. I feel like Nicole was honest — even in certain situations on the show that they got into, with me and Rachel and at one point, me and Drew," Canty said. "If I was in that situation I probably wouldn't know what to do."

With Scherzinger and Abdul out of the judges' seats, rumors have been swirling that pop star Britney Spears may fill one of the vacant spots.

"Oh wow, I haven't heard that one. Britney Spears, wow. That should be interesting," Canty said in response to the news. "Britney Spears can be my mentor because, first of all, I was the entertainer. I know she would give me that pop I need. That's definitely a great fit."